of fate and choices
by AGENT Kuma-chan
Summary: The mark on her neck was no stronger than the tattoo on her thigh. The choice was all theirs, was always theirs. -Neijire, Mirio, Tamaki


**Title:** of fate and choices

**A/N:** written for the BigThreesome Zine.

**Summary: **_The mark on her neck was no stronger than the tattoo on her thigh. The choice was all theirs, was __always__ theirs._

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**Monday**

Mirio liked mornings the best. He'd wake up in a mess of limbs, with Nejire spread out all over the bed and Tamaki curled up in a small ball. Her hair spooled all over them, a blanket, while Mirio's hand kept Tamaki from falling off the edge of the bed. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he curled his arms around both of them for a quick hug before leaping off the bed.

"Mornin'?" Groggily, Tamaki sat up. Swaying slightly, he stared at Mirio for a long moment before falling back onto the bed. Nejire didn't react, sleeping like the dead as usual.

"Morning!" With a broad grin, Mirio pecked his husband's forehead before getting ready for work. His spouses didn't have to leave yet, but he still had to drop Eri off at pre-school. And make breakfast. And pack her lunch.

And maybe he should have set his alarm a little earlier, he was going to be late at this rate.

"It's fine, it's fine," he chanted as he tossed on his clothes. They were a little loose and it was only the infinite belts he wore that kept them from slipping right back off him. Nejire liked to open the buckles one by one and see just how many it'd take before he was naked.

But that was a thought for neither here nor there and Mirio was definitely going to be late.

"Nejire…made lunch," Tamaki muttered, his voice thick with sleep. He was staring up at the ceiling, a hand covering his eyes. It was still too bright for him.

"Really?" Mirio stared at Nejire in surprise. She was already taking over the space he had left, her limbs sprawled ungracefully over the vast majority of the bed.

"I supervised." Tamaki rubbed his eyes slowly. "It's edible. I made sure she didn't use anything _too_ strange."

Which was a little sad, because Mirio did like the strange new combinations Nejire always found. However, it was probably better if Eri didn't suddenly realize she hated the taste of eggplant, plum, and acai stir fry. Even if they all followed the purple colour scheme.

"I love you." Mirio pecked both of them once more before running off to wake up Eri.

Yeah, Mirio liked mornings the best.

-x-

**Tuesday**

"Is that your soulmate's symbol?" Ochako leaned closer to see symbol on Nejire's shoulder. "A sun? How cute!"

"It is, right? It totally is!" The weather had picked up recently and Nejire had started sporting less and less fabric as each day passed by. Unfortunately, Tamaki stopped her from going any further than a tank top and shorts. Still, there was always tomorrow. One of these days, he'd slip up. Besides, it was her fashion line! What did it matter if she wore almost nothing? It was hot!

"What's your symbol?" The new temp was curious. Nejire liked that about her. Well, she liked a lot of things about Ochako but curiosity was at the very top of the list.

"A tornado!" Nejire grinned. When they first met and her symbol had etched itself on Mirio's wrist, he didn't really believe it was hers. Apparently she had seemed too thin, too small for something so disastrous. "A big one."

"Ahaha, I can see that." Ochako chuckled, nodding her head. Another thing she liked about the newbie—she realized instantly that a tornado was the perfect fit.

"Oh, wait, wait!" Halting immediately, Nejire pulled up the left side of her shorts slightly. "Look at this one too."

"Huh?" Perplexed, Ochako stared at the fluffy cloud on her thigh. "A tattoo?"

"It's for my other soulmate." The second Tamaki had said _yes_, she had gone to the closest tattoo parlor. "Isn't it pretty?"

Ochako's confusion didn't clear but Nejire paid her no mind. Summer was great, she could show off both symbols so easily now. Maybe she'd wear shorter shorts tomorrow. She could even pick out the ones Tamaki liked—there was no way he could object then.

-x-

**Wednesday**

The restaurant's bathroom was empty when Tamaki entered it. Approaching the sink, he splashed the cool water on his face. Despite how long he had been working here, he had yet to get used to the kitchen's heat.

His bangs were dripping when he looked up in the mirror. They were starting to get long—he'd have to get Nejire to cut them later. As he pushed them to the side, the cloud on his neck caught his eye. It was still there then. Good. Tracing the pattern with his finger, he sighed with relief.

He could still stay with them, then.

-x-

**Thursday**

"Mirio!" Deku waved as Mirio slid into the fire station.

Panting, he looked up at the clock—7:59. Puffed up with pride, he high-fived his partner. "Made it!"

"Good thing too, Yagi was already preparing your punishment." Deku gestured behind him, to the office where Fire Chief Yagi was watching them with a slightly disappointed expression. "I'm glad you got here on time!"

"I couldn't keep setting a bad example for you!" Mirio frowned as they headed to the change rooms. Unbuttoning his shirt, he nodded sagely to himself. "Just like Yagi, I have to give you an ideal to reach for."

Deku blinked before settling into an easy smile. "You do that enough at work anyways!" Opening his locker, he stared down at Mirio's wrists for a moment before biting his lip. "Could I ask you something?"

Ah, that question. It had been a few months since they had become partners—the longest anyone had waited before asking. "Go ahead."

"…How did you know?"

Surprised, Mirio stared at his junior. "Huh?"

Deku flushed a deep red, his fingers pushing against one another as he clarified his question. "You have two soulmates, right? How…how did you know?"

Not the question he had been expecting, but Deku was always full of surprises. Proudly, Mirio showed the tornado and cloud imprinted on his wrists. "With Nejire, we happened to be in the same classroom and we just…clicked? It was almost instantaneous but she's never had patience anyways." Mirio chuckled, remembering how quickly his wife had searched the room for him.

"I see…" Deku had a little notebook out, his pen already scribbling away. Mirio snorted—even now, his junior was so serious. "I hear it burns a little when it changes."

"Yeah, just a little." Fondly, he traced the cloud he got after seeing Nejire's. "Tamaki…he took a little longer but there was never any other choice."

"Never?" Deku looked up at those words.

Mirio repeated firmly, "Never."

"Do you think I'll have to wait long?" Deku stared at the palm of his hand, at the rabbit etched on his skin. "I keep looking but it never changes."

"Hmm…well, sometimes people never find their soulmates. It's a huge world, right?" Mirio gestured at the wall, in the direction of Yagi's office. "Chief never found his but he's still happy with his husband."

"That's true…there are cases like that." Deku took a deep breath before lifting his head. A determined look in his eyes, he quickly returned to changing. "Thanks!"

-x-

**Friday**

Tamaki's hands hovered hesitantly over her spaghetti straps. Nejire could feel the warmth radiating from his palms, see his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. His throat had been dry all evening, ever since he spotted her and Mirio coming down the stairs. Even drinking three glasses of water at dinner had done nothing to quench his thirst.

His fingers trembled. Staring up into his eyes, she saw age-old fear and doubt cloud his sight. Swiftly, she reached up and cupped his cheeks, pulling his face down for a kiss.

"Hey, listen to me." Pulling away slightly, she pressed her forehead to his. Sometimes, touching Tamaki was touching glass; she was afraid he'd shatter. Mirio was better at handling him than she was. Her touch had always been too abrasive, leaving behind bruises and wounds whether she meant it or not.

But Tamaki was important and for Tamaki, she would try. Keeping her voice soft, she continued. "I chose you."

"Wha—" Tamaki tried to step back but she kept her grip firm. "It's not…it's not that."

Nejire wasn't going to play the game, not today. "I chose you. I still choose you, choose this. So does Mirio."

If there was one thing she had never understood, it was this need to follow soulmates. To be bound to them. If Mirio hadn't been her match, she still would have picked him. If someone else had been her soulmate, she still might have rejected him. The mark on her neck was no stronger than the tattoo on her thigh. If only Tamaki could see that, could understand that. The choice was all theirs, was _always_ theirs.

"Hey, hey listen." She closed her eyes, listening to the sound of him breathing. His heart was faster than a rabbit's, she was certain of it. Opening her eyes, she stared right into his. "I love you. We love you. Did you hear that? Did you?"

His ears went red and had this been any other time, she would have bitten them. She still might, after all of this. Tamaki froze at this confession, his hands resting on top of hers instead of pushing her away.

"I love you," she repeated. Even though he didn't respond, his fingers didn't shake this time as he reached for her shoulders.

-x-

**Saturday**

"Mama?" Eri poked her head into the bedroom, clutching a stuffed unicorn tightly. Tamaki looked up from the book he was reading and Nejire put down her Switch. "Daddy?"

"Another nightmare?" Tamaki asked, closing his book.

"Yeah…Papa's sleeping?" Eri shuffled nervously at the foot of the bed, looking down the entire time. "I..."

Nejire was already patting the space between her and Mirio. Tamaki watched in horror as she started to roll him towards the edge of the bed to make more room. "Want me to fight your closet?"

Eri's eyes were round as saucers as she considered it. Clambering up onto the bed, she snuggled next to Nejire and nodded rapidly. "Please!"

"Alright! Mama's going to be a monster hunter tomorrow!"

-x-

**Sunday**

"And they all lived happily ever after." Tamaki glanced over at his adoptive daughter. She looked so much like her father, even when she was asleep. Quickly, he removed the finger puppets they had all made one rainy afternoon, setting them back into Eri's playbox.

After kissing Eri's forehead, he quietly closed the door and returned to his—to _their_ room. The lights were low, with Nejire and Mirio curled up to each other, fast asleep. They had left space between them, space for him.

They always left space for him. The extra toothbrush when he first started dating, the mug in the cabinet, the drawer they cleaned just for him. Tamaki's right hand curled around his neck, covering the cloud.

Even if he met his soulmate tomorrow, there was nowhere else he wanted to be. This was home, _they_ were home. Crawling into bed, he pecked both of them lightly. "Me too," he mumbled, remembering Nejire's words the other day. "Me too."

Her eyes snapped open, arms already pulling him down before he could retreat. "I heard that!" she half sang, her voice thick with sleep. "I heard that!"

If there was one saving grace, it was that Mirio hadn't heard it. Yet. Nejire would definitely tell him tomorrow.


End file.
